Washington: Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached a historic deal that will lead to a full normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern nations in an agreement that US President Donald Trump helped to broker.
Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, senior White House officials said.
The deal was the product of lengthy discussions between Israel, the UAE and the United States that accelerated recently, White House officials said.
The agreement was sealed in a phone call on Thursday, US time, between Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
“HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
In the White House Oval Office, Trump said discussions between the two leaders had sometimes been tense. He said similar deals were being discussed with other countries in the region. A signing ceremony including delegations from Israel and the UAE will be held at the White House in the coming weeks, Trump added.
“Everybody said this would be impossible,” Trump said. “After 49 years, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalise their diplomatic relations. They exchange embassies and ambassadors and begin co-operation across the border.”
Read the article by Steven Holland in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Brisbane Times.